Jerry's Cigar Shop is where stogie lovers relax, unwind and chat with friends and strangers in between puffs of thick white smoke.

Peter Bond relishes the art and aroma of a hand rolled cigar. Bond bought the shop in 2015 from Jerry Harrison, who retired but still comes in a few times a week, telling stories like always. Bond said the shop provided a getaway for cigar enthusiasts and he wanted to keep the institution alive.

"Since Jerry and I were friends and I had so much respect for him, I encouraged him to stick around and enjoy his retirement in his old shop," Bond said.

The shop is celebrating 25 years of business with a three-day Tallahassee Cigar Festival, the first of its kind according to Bond.

"We’re in a golden age of cigars right now. There’s so much innovation and experimentation with different wrapper varieties and there’s endless possibilities of blends to satisfy every palate,” Bond said.

The inventory tripled after the change in ownership. Bond added craft beer and port wine pairings for select cigars. More seating was added at the original Sharer Road shop and a second location opened in December on Kerry Forrest Parkway, offering a lounge setting with over-sized leather seats clustered in a way to stoke conversation.

"When finding contractors to build the new location, we selected folks that were all cigar enthusiasts and friends of Jerry's Cigar Shop," Bond said. "All of the contractors did a fabulous job and we opened the most state of the art cigar shop/lounge in this area, with the largest walk-in humidor in town."

The Tallahassee Cigar Festival includes live music, food trucks and top industry brand owners, and a couple hundred attendees are expected. Attendees will hear from the owners of prominent cigar companies and master cigar rollers. They'll also be treated to cigar specials, free cigars, raffles and door prizes.